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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · tube · key · leaves · temple · face · march · court

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. face — part of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — for digging
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. face — to point toward
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — of law
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. key — in music
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com